Tyrone 0-14 Monaghan 0-12

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Tyrone edged out Ulster neighbours Monaghan by 0-14 to 0-12 to reach the All-Ireland SFC semi-finals.

Sean Cavanagh slotted over four points as Tyrone came from behind, Monaghan having made a positive start with scores from Conor McManus and Paul Finlay.

The Red Hands led by 0-09 to 0-07 at the interval, and lost Martin Penrose to a straight red card, with Monaghan also down to 14 with Kieran Hughes’s second booking.

And Tyrone finished strongly with points from Ronan O’Neill and Cavanagh to secure a narrow victory.

Monaghan made a flying start, easing into a 0-04 to 0-01 led by the seventh minute.

Conor McManus and Paul Finlay were both on target from frees, and Kieran Hughes thumped over a point from play after full-back Drew Wylie had made a surge from defence.

Sean Cavanagh and Darren McCurry got Tyrone’s challenge going with converted frees, but they were having difficult in breaking down a disciplined Farney defence in which Dessie Mone and Neil McAdam excelled.

Finlay had just restored the Ulster champions’ three points lead when Darren Hughes, who had been keeping Sean Cavanagh, picked up a booking.

Immediately. Cavanagh exploited his direct opponent’s vulnerability and powered through to pick off two trademark points as the Red Hand began to dominate.

Conor Clarke brought them level and it was Joe McMahon, with the first of two wonderful scores, who gave Mickey Harte’s side the lead for the first time.

Monaghan boss Malachy O’Rourke introduced Dick Clerkin to shadow Cavanagh late in the half, which finished well for his side, with McManus steering over a gem from a tight angle.

Tyrone led by 0-09 to 0-07 at the interval, and sensationally had Martin Penrose red-carded prior to the beginning of the second half, his punishment for a strike on Dessie Mone at the end of the opening period.

Pascal McConnell’s poor kick-out almost gifted Monaghan a goal, Christopher McGuinness sending Stephen Gollogly through but he blasted the ball over the bar.

The Red Hands lost Joe McMahon to injury, and Monaghan were also reduced to 14 men when Kieran Hughes picked up a second yellow card in the 47th minute.

Tyrone kept their noses in front, with Peter Harte and Ciaran McGinley both pushing forward from the half back line to score,

McManus and Christopher McGuinness rewarded Monaghan’s industry with scores to keep them on the coat-tails of their opponents going into the last 10 minutes, and but for some heroic defending from Cathal McCarron, they could have been in for further scores.

McGuinness broke up a Tyrone attack with a vital intercept, sending Clerkin away to win the free from which McManus brought the sides level in the 63rd minute, but the Red Hands went back in front instantly through substitute Ronan O’Neill.

And Cavanagh sealed it with his fifth point of the contest to secure Tyrone’s place in the last four for the first time since 2009.